


Lost to the Sea

by sentella_warrior



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Langst, M/M, Sad with a Happy Ending, klance, klangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 15:18:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11739744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sentella_warrior/pseuds/sentella_warrior
Summary: This wasn't supposed to happen. They were both supposed to survive this war and go home with each other. But he was gone and there was nothing either of them could do. Worse? It was his fault.____________________________________________________________________________________________________Basically, Lance "dies" and this is how I kind of think the others would react. Ends okay, though. Probably needs a lot of editing but that probably won't happen until later on. Let me know what you think in the comments, and feel free to correct grammar issues. Peace out bros.





	Lost to the Sea

Keith slowly came awake from a deep sleep, to tender kisses being placed against his face. He slowly opened one eye to be greeted with the striking blue eyes he had become so familiar with.

“Buenos Dias, mi amor”, said Lance in his ever present joyful tone, while giving Keith a smile that could outshine the sun itself. But Keith was privileged enough to be able to witness that smile every morning and today was the first day in months Allura was giving them a day off. If they weren’t being forced to run through drills or bonding exercises, then Keith was going to sleep in, Lance be darned. He was NOT getting out of bed.

Lance continued to place kisses on his face when he saw Keith was trying to fall back asleep. Groaning in refusal, Keith slipped his head under the covers and snuggled closer to Lance's body. Laughing at his boyfriends actions, Lance slipped out of the covers and stretched, before beginning to pull on his underwater suit. Keith instinctively jerked deeper into the covers to compensate for the sudden absence of warmth Lance had shared with him.

Keith turned his body towards the wall, fully intent to go back to sleep, when a long arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him to the edge of the bed. 

“Lance, no”, Keith groaned, “It’s too early. I don’t wanna get up yet.”

Lance leaned down and gently nuzzled Keith's cheek. 

“Please get up? I really wanna go swimming.” Confoundet. Lance knew Keith was powerless against him when he used that voice. Growling low in his throat, Keith turned around sharply and pulled Lance down to meet his lips for a good morning kiss.

When they pulled away, Lance smiled down at him in satisfaction. 

“About time, sleeping beauty. Come on, get up and get dressed. It’s a new day.” He stood and Keith saw he was completely dressed in his swimwear and had already gone through his morning hygiene rituals. Keith sighed.

“I really hate that you’re a morning person.” 

In mock hurt, Lance placed a hand over his heart. “Are you saying you hate me?”

Keith nodded. “This early in the morning I do, yes.”

Lance laughed and leaned down to peck his lips lightly once more. “Love you too.”

He got up and went to the foot of his bed, where he had placed his towel. Keith rolled his eyes but stood out of the bed anyways. Only yesterday, the ship had landed on this planet, called Genoria. They had wandered the island until they found the native inhabitants, human-like beings that had green skin, purple eyes, and were only four and a half feet on average. The paladins had been graciously met with the supplies they needed and had set off again for the ship. They were only about a mile from where the ship had landed when Lance had bolted. Scaring Keith, who thought there was something wrong, he chased after his boyfriend. When they arrived at a beach, Lance was ecstatic. It was all Keith could do to convince Lance that it was too late to swim, since the sun was already setting. He promised that since they were so close, they would be able to go swimming the next day. Lance had reluctantly agreed and they set back for the castle. When Keith had said the next day, he hadn’t meant eight in the morning. But Lance was so excited, Keith could deny him nothing.

Though he had done an amazing job hiding it, Keith knew Lance was terribly homesick. He would zone out sometimes and get such a heartbreakingly sad look on his face, that it made Keith break inside to see it. He would jerk awake in the middle of the night as though he had just had a horrifying nightmare, panting and sweating in the dark. Keith would ask him about what he had seen or the dreams, but Lance would laugh off his accusations. “I’m perfectly alright”, he would say. But Keith saw a shadow in his eyes that called Lance a liar. 

Keith figured getting to swim in an ocean similar to the ones on Earth would help Lance, that it would be a refresher to what he was missing so deeply. Which was part of the reason he was, though reluctantly, getting up so early. He wanted to see Lance happy again.

He hurriedly threw on his wetsuit but Lance was already out the door and running down the hall. “Wait up!”, he called and chased after him. They passed the kitchen and Keith was tempted to remind Lance to eat breakfast, but he figured it would fall on deaf ears. They ran into Hunk, who laughed at Lance speeding off with Keith trailing behind at a much slower pace. 

“Hey you guys, we’ll meet you guys out there!” Keith waved a backwards hand to show he had heard him.

They ran outside and if it was possible, Lance sped up. “Lance, slow down!” Called Keith. Nope, he didn’t. In about five minutes, seven for Keith, Lance had made it to a bluff that overlooked the ocean and had stopped. Panting for breath, and thinking that it was too early in the morning to had run so far, Keith came up to Lance's back. He laid his head down on it and tried to catch his breath. 

“Bout’ time you slowed down. Why are we standing here? Shouldn’t we be down there?” He made a gesture towards the beach and moved to stand beside Lance to look at the water below. But Lance just shook his head. 

“No”, Lance said in a monotonous tone, “Two reasons, that wouldn’t work.” He raised one finger, still not looking at Keith. “One, somehow for a tropical beach, it’s freezing. Can you feel the mist blowing off it? We wouldn’t last more than a few moments before hypothermia set in.” He raised another. “Secondly, do you see the red sky? That means a storms coming in. Ever heard the expression, ‘Red at night sailors delight, red in the morning sailors take warning’? Yeah, that's a real thing.”

Keith heard the sadness in Lance's voice. The shadow in Lance's eyes replaced the twinkle that had been there just a few minutes ago. He wrapped his arm around Lances waist and rested his temple against his shoulder, offering his comfort and support.

“I’m sorry, Lance. I know how excited you were.” They were only staying for the day. Allura had been adamant that they should leave right after dinner. ‘The Galra won’t rest just because we are. What’s more important? The universe or a vacation?’, and that had been the end of the discussion. Keith was surprised that she had even agreed to this day off but he knew Lance was a good negotiator. 

Lance shrugged his shoulders and sighed. “It’s okay. I’m not too upset over it.” But despite the words, Keith knew just how bothered Lance was.

It was then that Hunk and Pidge had ran up to their spot on the cliff, laughing.

“Hey, why aren’t we in the water yet?” Asked Pidge, in an annoyed tone.

Keith replied, “A storm's coming and the water's too cold.”

“Yeah you idiot! Use your brain!” Pidge yelled at Hunk, who threw his arms up in exasperation. 

Ignoring the argument behind them, Keith took Lance's hand in his. “Wanna go explore the beach some? Before the storm comes in?”

Lance squeezed his hand and gave Keith a smile. “Sure. Sounds fun.”

They turned to walk away but Keith stopped as something shiny caught his eye. On the edge of the cliff, there was a beautiful piece of sea glass that made the most beautiful shade of turquoise Keith had ever seen. Thinking it might cheer Lance up some, he moved towards the edge. Sensing Keith was no longer walking behind him, Lance turned around.

“Keith! Don’t step so close to the edge! The rocks could-” But before he could finish his warning, the loose rocks supporting Keith crumpled and he watched in horror as Keith fell into the water. Pidge and Hunk yelled in surprise as they saw their teammate fall but Lance was already running towards the edge. Hands tried to hold him back but he shook them off and ignoring their protests, Lance dove after Keith into the freezing waters below. 

The cold water hit Lance like a pile of bricks and knocked the air from his lungs. The shock was increased as the waved that had been crashing against the side, shoved Lance against the rocks. Ignoring the sharp edges he felt pierce his skin, he used the rock to break the surface of the water. He gulped down the cool air as he frantically searched for Keith, praying he hadn’t been pulled under. 

Almost out of nowhere, the wind picked up speed and Lance saw dark clouds forming over the sky. He watched in horror as the waves became more violent and he braced himself against a large one, and took all his strength to keep ahold of the rock.

The seconds felt like hours as he struggled to locate the red paladin and stay on the rock. From the corner of his vision, he saw a flash of red and turned his head in time to see Keith be dragged under the water. Desperation overtook him as he took in a deep breath and plunged back into the waves. Lance swam and kicked as hard and as fast as he could, fighting the strong current pulling him back. He was ingesting large quantities of salt water as he fought, but he ignored this. He needed to get to Keith.

Finally, he broke away from the small tidal current, and allowed himself to be pulled further along by the main one. He made it to the spot where he had seen Keith go down and he dove after him. Time stood still before Lance came up gasping for air with Keith in his arms. The boys coughed up the water in their lungs as they were pulled further out to the ocean. 

“L-L-Lance?” Keith asked weakly, teeth chattering and lips already turning blue and numb.

“I got you, amor. Don’t worry, I got you.”

But Lance was worried. He could barely support their combined weights as it was and the storm was only growing steadily worse. The waves were getting larger and Lance struggled to keep them both above the water. Keith was in no condition and Lance knew if he released him, he would sink to the bottom. Lance couldn’t swim them back to the ever fading beach while carrying them both. They wouldn’t make it.

Constantly, the enormous waves crashed down on top of them and each time it was harder and harder for Lance to bring them both back to the top. On top of his muscles and strength weakening, Lance could feel his body beginning to slip into hypothermic shock. Keiths teeth had stopped their chattering which Lance knew to be his body's way of trying to preserve energy. There was no longer land in sight and the waves were getting rougher. Lance didn’t know what to do. 

“I’mmm s-s-sorry, L-Lance.” Mumbled Keith, almost unable to form the words.

“It’s not your fault. Stop apologising.” Said Lance, in a tired voice. 

A wave forced them under. 

“L-love y-you.” Keith smiled sadly at Lance with his very blue lips, and his eyes beginning to droop slightly.

“You stay awake, Keith! We’re gonna get out of this, I swear to you. We’re not going to die today.” 

Again, they were forced under.

They came up and Lance could feel Keith giving up. The hands that had once been holding onto his so tightly before, were beginning to loosen their grip. Using one arm, Lance gripped Keith tightly and kicked his legs as hard as he could to keep them both afloat. But it was taking too much of the energy he didn’t have, to swim like this; he couldn’t keep this up for much longer. Keith seemed to have given up and accepted his fate but Lance still refused with everything he had left.

But Lances determination wasn’t enough to keep them up. Lance knew that he might be able to survive if it was only himself but there was no way that was going to happen. Keith was the only thing keeping him sane during this war, the only thing that kept him happy. He had long since given up on ever seeing his family again and had instead, aimed only to survive and be with Keith. He loved him so much. If Keith had to die out here, then Lance was going to go with him. All the way to the bottom, they would go together.

Just when Lance was sure his legs were going to give out, a bright light engulfed them.

“Guys, up here!” Looking up, Lance saw Pidge leaning over an open hatch in the green lion. She released a small metal slat over the hatch and quickly it was lowered down to them. Relief enveloped Lance. They were saved.

“Lance!”, called Pidge over the storm, “ Place Keith on the slat and hold on!” Lance followed the command and climbed onto it besides Keith. They had only risen a foot when there was a large snap and they fell back down. 

“Crap! All this saltwaters eroded the crank!” He heard Pidge call down to them. “Lance, I can raise it by hand but I can only lift one at a time!” Lance nodded and jumped off the slat, back into the water. Ignoring Keith’s protests about leaving Lance, he hollered to Pidge and told her to go ahead. A rope was lowered down to him. “Hold onto the rope while I lift him up!” 

Lance kissed the top of Keiths head and whispered in his ear, “Told you we’d make it.” Lance grabbed ahold of the rope, and barely enough strength to hold onto it, he watched as Keith began to slowly be raised.   
_______________________________________________________________________

Keith was only semi-conscious when it happened. He felt Lances kiss, heard his playful words, and felt himself being lifted. His body felt so weak, it was extremely laborious just to breathe. He was beginning to doze off when he heard a cry not far above him. 

“Hold on, Lance!”

Jerking awake at the sudden warning, Keith forced himself to turn and look over the edge of the sled. What he saw sent a large feeling of dread and horror through him. 

A large wave was cresting not far off and was coming their way. Pidge and Keith were high enough in the air that the enormous wave wouldn’t touch them. But Lance was directly in it’s path. Keith saw the exhausted state of Lance's body, saw that he was struggling enough just to remain holding onto the rope. He wasn’t going to be able to fight against the wave. From the lion, Pidge was shouting something at them but neither listened. There was nothing any of them could do.

Keith held Lances eyes and saw the acceptance in his beautiful smile. He called out for Lance but could not make himself move to help. His panic for Lance had paralyzed him with fear. To add to his panic, Lance's face was perfectly calm as though he had just given up. He knew what was going to happen.

“Don’t look, mi amor. Love you.” But Keith’s eyes were transfixed to the scene. He couldn’t tear away his gaze from the eyes he loved so dearly. 

“No!” Keith yelled, as he witnessed the wave engulf Lance entirely. They held their breath as they waited in the few painstaking seconds it took the water to recede. When it did, Keith went numb. There was only an empty rope hanging slightly above the water. Lance was gone. 

He rested back against the slat. He was faintly aware of Pidge talking to him, of being lifted once more, but he couldn’t comprehend it. His brain was too hazy for him to comprehend anything. He barely noticed when he was pulled aboard the Lion. He barely felt her scanning his body for signs of any major injuries. He didn’t care if he was hurt. For all he cared, Pidge might as well have just threw him back into the ocean. The best thing he had ever had in his life was gone. Had just been swept away from him by the sea. He stared but didn’t focus on anything. He felt nothing. He wondered if the salt water he felt running down his face was the water from the ocean or from his own tears.

_______________________________________________________________________

Pidge had to keep it together. She had to ignore her own pain and heartbreak, and get Keith to the castle. She hadn’t found any serious injuries when she checked but he was way too cold. She ignored the image of Lance being swept away playing again and again in her head. She had to focus. Sparing a look at Keith, she wept at what she saw. Keith was dazed and not actually looking at anything. He had tears streaming down his face and his eyes bore such a brokenness to them, that made Pidge want to cry even harder.   
He was going into shock.

During her time as a Paladin, she had seen death many times, had seen the look of loved ones as they learned the news. She knew the look. The numbness their brain puts them under, to try and lessen the blow when they began to feel. It was a self preservation act designed to keep the person from being overwhelmed by their own grief. But she knew that nothing could soften the blow for Keith. Though she had teased them about being gross with their PDA, she hadn’t missed the way they looked at each other. Hadn’t missed the love and adoration for each other in their eyes. And now, because of her, that love had been shattered. 

Doing what she could for him, she covered Keith with the emergency blankets they all had stored in their lions. Moving with a tiredness she felt both emotionally, mentally and physically, she took her seat in the pilot's chair. She put her helmet back on, only to be greeted with the worries of Hunk and Shiro. After watching their friends fall into the sea, her and Hunk had rushed as fast as they could back to the castle. They alerted Shiro to the situation and together they went out to search. She had been the one to suggest that they could cover more area if they separated, and could find them faster. With the quickly darkening skies, it hadn’t seemed like such a terrible idea at the time. Now she wondered if they had stayed together, would Lance have been found in time.

“Pidge, talk to us. What’s happening?” Shiro.

“You said you found them, are they okay?” Hunk.

“Green paladin, reply.” Allura.

God, what was Pidge supposed to tell them?

“This is Pidge. I found Keith and he needs a healing pod, fast.”

“There's already one ready.” Allura.

“What about Lance? Is he okay?” Hunk. Hearing him ask about Lance, forced her to choke back a sob.

No buddy, he’s not okay.

“Pidge, Hunk report back to the castle.” Shiro. His tone was professional and cold. Pidge knew that he had figured what happened. Poor Hunk was so oblivious, he kept asking about Lance. Pidge ignored him, unable to find a way to explain that his best friend wasn’t coming back. She spared glances at Keith, who never once moved. Like he was catatonic and simply couldn’t. 

She landed Green in her hangar, draped Keith over her shoulder and stepped out. She set Keith on the foot of the lion and looked up to see Hunk running towards them, Shiro walking behind him with a desolate look on his face. How was she going to explain this?

_______________________________________________________________________

Coran and Allura rushed into the hangar to greet the paladins but Coran paused in his steps. Hunk was frantically asking questions at Pidge, who refused to meet any of their eyes. Shiro had his arms crossed and was saying something to Allura with a face that said the weight of the universe was baring down on him alone. At whatever Shiro told her, Allura's face went pale and she covered her mouth with her hands. He knew what had happened. But he refused to believe it.

No. It’s not true. Lance isn’t dead. He can’t be.

Coran could no longer deny what was evident when he looked at Keith. God, Keith looked dead. And Coran didn’t mean the ashen tone of his skin or his blue lips. It was the blankness in his eyes. If it wasn’t for the tears streaming down his face and the occasion rise and fall of his chest to indicate he was breathing, Coran wouldn’t believe he was still alive.

Pidge said something to Hunk and roughly brushed past them. Coran watched her storm away, not looking back at them. He watched Hunk fall to his knees and begin to sob. Allura crouched next to him and pulled his head into the crook of her neck. She gently rocked him back and forth, while trying to say comforting things. Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder before stepping up to Keith and somehow managed to stand him on his feet and drape his arm over his shoulder. Seeing he was needed, Coran fought down his own tears and pain, and moved the rest of the way across the room to assist Shiro. 

Shiro said nothing, and only nodded at Coran in acknowledgement. They made their way to the med bay and placed Keith in one of the pods. He didn’t look at them, he didn’t even seem aware they were there. They shut him in and Coran punched in the sequence that would begin the process.

For a moment, they stood there in silence and let the travesty of the situation sink in. Coran broke the silence first.

“I should go and check the thrusters of the ship. Our landing yesterday was kind of bumpy…”

Shiro nodded. “I think I’m gonna stay here and wait for Keith. When he comes out and remembers what happened…”

Coran took his leave and began to walk through the castle halls. He tried not to notice that already, it was far too quiet.

_______________________________________________________________________

Shiro waited for the majority of the night. He had been trying to think of what to say to Keith but even after hours of racking his brain, he still hadn’t thought of anything. Truth be told, Shiro didn’t think there was anything anyone could say to make this any easier. They had been so in love. Keith was the one that kept Lances homesickness from consuming him and Lance...Well Lance was everything to Keith. Yes, the team was a family and yeah, Shiro was his older brother figure. But Lance had offered a closeness and level of companionship that none of the rest of them could. At least he had.

The healing pod opened and the cold air interrupted Shiro's depressing thoughts. He stood just in time to catch Keith before he fell. Keith mumbled and looked around the room, searching for someone who wasn’t there.

“Wheres Lance? He’s always here when I wake up…” He mumbled, still trying to fight through his hazy vision and locate Lance.

“Keith…” Shiro trailed off. He didn’t know what to say.

Suddenly Keith stilled and a cry broke through his chest. “No. He’s not-Where is he?”

Shiro couldn’t look him in the eyes. Keith began to hyperventilate and pulled away. “No! You’re lying! Nononono.” He fell to his knees and ran his fingers through his hair. Each sob he choked on broke Shiro's heart that much more. Not sure what to do, Shiro sat on the floor beside him. He placed a hand on his back with the intent to comfort him, but at the touch Keith jerked away, stood up and stormed out of the room.

Shiro only watched helplessly, knowing the only person who could make Keith feel better, was buried miles below the freezing waves.

_______________________________________________________________________

Keith stormed down the hall to his room. He walked past Coran who tried to stop and ask him how he was feeling, but Keith shouldered past him and walked on. He didn’t want to see anybody right now. What he wanted, was to be left alone in his room. The rest of the world could go screw itself. He made it to his room and locked the door, and left alone, his anger began to dissolve and morph into searing pain. 

He collapsed to the floor and rested his head against his hands. He tried to stop the tears but they continued to stream down his face. His hands were shaking as he raised them to wipe his eyes. God, he hurt so bad.

He looked around the room and saw Lances pajamas from the previous night still laying on the floor, saw the facial masks he used every night still laying on the desk opposite side on the room. He saw Lance everywhere. He collapsed on the floor as he could no longer contain his agony and began to release wails that were heard throughout the castle. From different corners, his calls of pain were heard and matched.

_______________________________________________________________________

 

What happened next, happened in a blur. The following day, the natives threw a memorial service for the fallen paladin at the beach. The paladins didn’t want to attend but were forced to at Alluras insistence. Hunk sobbed through the service, Pidge was edgy and the others were stoic. This was not the first time they had lost people and they were better acquainted with the sadness of death. 

Keith was by far the worst of them. He was at the funeral but he didn’t say a thing the entire time. He just stared at the sea with a look of absolute hatred. The raw anger and pain that showed through his eyes scared the natives and worried his teammates. After the service, Keith disappeared back into his room. There, he was tormented by Lances absence. And after they launched the castle and left the small planet, the team went separate ways.

Shiro went to the training room to work at advancing his techniques. Not only was he trying to ignore the failure he felt as team leader, but he also felt like he needed to try harder. He felt deep down like if he trained and became better, he could prevent losing another teammate.

Hunk spent his time in the ship's engine rooms with Coran, helping to fix the ship. Hunk almost never cooked anymore, every time he did it was a reminder of the cuban who should have been helping him. Lance had almost been like a child, always wanting to lick the bowl and be the taste tester. What had once been an enjoyable hobby was now a cruel reminder of his best friend. Poor Coran suffered in silence. While it was nice to be able to spend time with another of the paladins, he missed the Blue Paladin. Lances chores had been to help him with the ship's repairs and having someone else assist him in his duties, just didn’t feel right. But he knew Hunk needed someone so he didn’t voice his opinions out loud.

Pidge spent her time in her lions hangar, working on every project she possibly could. She spent almost every minute of her time making repairs to the lions, upgrading their tech or just making small gadgets that had no merit but still took her mind off things. The only time she ever slept was when Shiro came out and physically forced her to her room to sleep. Any sleep she got was filled with nightmares of Lance being dragged under and made her wake up crying and feeling more tired than she when she laid down. She only ate when the team brought her food and even then, she could only stomach a few bites. The guilt of what had happened weighed heavily upon her as she immersed herself in her projects. If she had only found a way to lift them both...If she had just done something different...She suppressed those thoughts and concentrated on her work. 

Keith was just as bad as Pidge. He didn’t come out to eat and he never really slept. Keith would lay in bed all night, hugging onto the pillow that had once been Lances, hugging it close and inhaling his fading scent. And when he did sleep, his dreams were full of the smiles and the beautiful sunshine that Lance had once been. Then when Keith awoke, he was consumed by the pain all over again. He would lay there in bed after he awoke from these dreams and wish he could awake once more to Lance's playful kisses and urges for him to start the morning with him. He thought of all the times he had griped at Lance for waking him up, for leaving his facial creams scattered in the bathroom; one time he had even gotten annoyed at Lance when he had sang too loud in the shower. Now he would sell his soul to hear his voice just one more time. Well, whatever of his soul he had left. Lance had taken a large piece of his heart with him.

The team was broken and there wasn’t any foreseeable way to mend them back together. The glue that had done that, had been taken by the sea.

_______________________________________________________________________

It had been three weeks since they had left Genoria and the nightmares caused by it. Allura had called them all to the bridge and Shiro had somehow convinced Keith to make an appearance. Coran watched as they slowly drafted into the room. Hunk came in and Coran didn’t fail to miss the ever present sadness on his face that never seemed to leave, even when he smiled. Pidge came in with Shiro, both seeming exhausted and just worn down to a point to which he feared they could collapse at any moment. 

When Keith entered the room, the light conversation in the room stilled and Corans heart broke so much more for the boy. He had extremely dark bags that seemed to only bring out his extremely blood shot eyes. His skin was pale and he seemed to have lost a considerable amount of weight. Keiths hair was completely disheveled and his pajamas were stained with past tears, and were covered in wrinkles. He staggered into the room and Coran feared he had contracted a disease, until he saw the bottle of the Alteans version of whiskey in his hand. Coran had preserved some before Altea had been destroyed and wondered how Keith had found his stash. But judging from the boys still grieving state, Coran figured that maybe he could use some.

Allura stood when Keith entered. “Now that everyone’s present, we’ve received a distress call from a planet. From the urgency of the message, it would be best if we got there as soon as possible.”

Keith snorted at what she said. He lifted the bottle and took a large gulp.

“Look, we’re all grieving Lance but as Voltron it’s our duty to help people!” Allura argued.

Shiro interrupted as it would seem Keith was about to make a snarky reply.

“She has a point, guys. Maybe we do need to put aside our grief long enough to help them. Who asked for assistance?” Allura looked at the ground and mumbled the name of the planet that had essentially ruined their lives. “Genoria.”

The look Keith gave her was like someone had killed his puppy in front of him and was bragging about it in his face. “You want us to go back there?” His despair turned to anger. “What could they possibly want from us now?! Haven’t we given them enough?”

Allura stiffened her spine and replied in her professional tone. “It doesn’t matter what they need. It’s our duty to-”

“No, it’s not!” Keith stood. “We’ve already left our homes and our families. We’re willingly fighting in a war that we had no part of before you dragged us into it! We’ve even begun to give them our lives! Is that our duty now? To die for them?” His voice lowered to a heartbroken pitch. “Was it Lances?” Not waiting for the answer, Keith stormed out. 

Allura shook her head and asked in exasperation for somebody to go and bring him back. Hunk volunteered and left.

Almost in a voice too low to be heard, Allura mumbled, “It’s not like Lance didn’t know the risks.”

Pidge, after seeming to have had enough, jumped up and stormed to Allura.

“Why don’t you just shut your mouth, for once?! How can you be so callous towards him? Towards the person that just lost the very person he loved most in the universe?!”

Alluras own anger simmered to the surface. “ Because I know how to control my emotions and focus on what’s important! I woke up and found out my entire planet been destroyed, and that my father had long since passed!”

Pidge didn’t back off. “Then it shouldn't be so hard for you to understand! The team needs to time to accept Lance's death. What we don’t need, is some princess desperate to prove herself to people already long dead, trying to shove us right back to where our pain come from!” 

Allura moved to slap Pidge, but she blocked the blow and kicked Alluras legs out from under her. Shiro moved to intercede and stopped the fight from continuing.

“Calm down, both of you! I know things have been stressful between the group but let’s not fight amongst ourselves.” He paused and allowed them time to breathe. “Pidge, the Genorians wouldn’t have contacted us like this, if something wasn’t actually wrong, okay? Try and think about it.” 

Pidge shook her head and after a moment, gave him a tight smile. “Fine, Shiro. You’re our leader. If you want us to go back, then we will. But you get to explain to Keith why he has to go back.” With that, she stormed out leaving the three of them alone.

“Thank you for agreeing with me Shiro. I’m sure in time, the others will understand too.”

Shiro shook his head and began to walk away. “I don’t agree, Princess. In fact, I couldn’t disagree with you more.” He walked out and Allura turned to Coran stunned. 

“Did I do something so terrible?” 

Coran sighed. “Nothing intentional.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Shiro tracked Keith to the kitchen where he found him digging through the cabinets. Besides when Lance was sick and couldn’t get his own food, Shiro had never seen Keith in the kitchen. 

“What are you doing, Keith?”

“Looking for this.” He pulled an unopened bottle of some kind of alcohol from the cabinet and shut the doors. So that’s where Coran hid the drinks...Shiro made a mental note to come back after Keith left and remove it. 

“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Shiro asked not bothering to hide his disapproval when he raised the bottle and took a drink.

Keith swallowed and paused with the bottle halfway to his lips. He seemed to consider Shiro's question for a moment before shaking his head. “Nope, don’t think so.” He took another swig.

“You know this isn’t a healthy coping mechanism, right?”

He snorted. “You honestly think I care?”

Shiro raised his eyebrows at Keith's disregard for his own health. “Is it really that bad for you?” He asked.

Keith looked blankly at the floor for a moment before replying. “I see him everywhere, Shiro. I turn around a corner and I think I glimpse him walking in front of me, then it turns out to just be a shadow. At night I’ll wake up and I swear I can feel him laying right beside me, like he always did. Then I turn around and he’s gone...I can’t stand it. Drinking this crap helps keep me grounded.”

“Keith-”,

“Listen, Shrio. If absolutely necessary, I’ll help the Genorians if they actually need it. But it’s not going to change a thing. He’s still going to be gone and I’m still going to have live the rest of my life without him.”

Keith turned to walk out of the room but Shiro continued.

“Lance wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself.”

Keith didn’t turn around, just kept walking.

“No he wouldn’t. Too bad he’s not here to to say anything.”

_______________________________________________________________________

 

The ship landed and Shiro led the team out to meet the native Genorians waiting for them. Pidge looked exhausted, Hunk looked depressed, and Keith reeked of alcohol. Shiro knew he was more sober than he had been in weeks but it still hadn’t cleared his system. And God only knew what Shiro appeared to them, with the stress of his teams division weighing heavily on him. What a team they were. 

“Paladins of Voltron! Thank goodness you arrived so soon.” The chieftain of the village called, running up to them. 

“Listen, is this truly an emergency? We don’t mean to sound unwilling to help but we’re kind of going through a bad time, right now..”

The chief shook his head fiercely. “No, trust me. This is something you’ll want to see. And you’ll want to bring your other friends too.”

Keith snorted. Rolling his eyes at Shiro's disapproving look, they contacted Allura and Coran. They waited a moment for their friends to come down and meet them, and when they did they were urgently lead towards the village. Keith paused in his step and stared out at the water. 

The ocean's calm today, he thought. I bet Lance would have loved it. 

Pidge placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and offered him a tight smile. He nodded his head and continued on with the group. They were lead to the chieftains own house located in the center of the village. The chief stopped in front of the door and turned to face them.

“Our fisherman found him on the far side of the island. We tried to contact you sooner but there was a problem with our satellites. We got word to you as soon as we could manage.” 

No. It’s not possible… But when the Chief pulled open the door and a familiar, tall figure stepped out, Keith's breathing stopped. Around him, his teammates visibly stilled but he didn’t really see them. He was too transfixed on the sight in front of him.

“Hey guys, did ya miss me?” Lance. Lance was standing right in front of them, wearing that same over-confident smirk he always wore. Tears gathered in Keith's eyes. He was the first of the team to break out of his shock. He lunged at Lance and wrapping his arms around his neck, brought him down into a bone crushing hug. Lances long arms wrapped around him and asked why he was crying, which only made Keith cry harder. 

“Shhh...It’s okay. I’m right here.”

“I-I thought I l-lost y-you.” He squeezed him tighter.

Finally the others too broke out of their stunned silences and pulled both Keith and Lance in a group hug. Hunk was laughing and crying simultaneously, Pidge was holding onto Lance almost as tight as Keith was and Shiro was trying to remain professional in the hug and fight his excitement. He was failing. 

They pulled away and Pidge punched Lance in the shoulder. Keith knew she wasn’t actually hurting him but it took all his strength to resist the urge to protect his mate. He possessively wrapped an arm around Lances waist and glared at Pidge who wisely backed off.

“What happened? How are you here, right now?” Pidge asked, astonished anyone had survived that kind of storm. Lance chuckled softly, a sound Keith basked in as he thought he would never again be able to hear.

“Did you really think any kind of water could ever drown me? I feel offended, Pidgeon.” He laughed loudly. “No, somehow I survived by holding my breath and every now and then, coming back to the surface for air. Eventually, the current pulled me close enough to shore that I could swim myself up. I passed out and woke up two days later in the village.”

The chief continued the story. “ He concerned us greatly with the amount of sea water he coughed up but he’s doing much better now. I would suggest he continue to drink large amounts of water so he can rehydrate and purge the remaining salt from his system.”

Shiro nodded. “Rest assured, he’s going to drink the water if we have to funnel it down his throat.” The villagers laughed but the team didn’t. They were silently agreeing with Shiro.

“Really though”, Hunk began, “It’s so nice to have you back, buddy.” He slapped a hand over Lance's shoulder. Lance smiled at him and said, “It’s good to see you guys again.” 

He looked around at the group. “So, who wants to explain why Keith smells drunk and the rest of you look like crap?”

Their smiles faded and Hunk rubbed his neck sheepishly. “I guess...We kind of just, fell apart without you.”

He raised a scolding eyebrow. “Yeah, I can see that.” He looked at his boyfriend. “Have you been drinking?” Keith looked down at his feet, clearly embarrassed, and the others shuffled away to give the couple some privacy. Alone now, Lance crossed his arms and waited for his answer.

Keith sighed and took a step back. “Yes, I started drinking. And yes, I know how terrible I look, how terrible we all look...But, you don’t understand. You we’re gone and we didn’t know you had survived…” Tears began to stream down his face despite his resistance. “I lost you…” Lance sensed his distress and pulled him into another hug. Still embracing, Keith continued. 

“I was surrounded by reminders of you and it was just too much for me to handle. I’m sorry please don’t be angry.” Pulling back, Lance kissed away his tears. 

“Mi amor, I’m not angry with you. Just the opposite actually; I’m touched that I meant so much to you.” Keith jerked back. “Did you think you didn’t? How could you ever think th-” Lance cut him off with a searing kiss. 

“Let me finish, mullet. I’m upset because you let yourself get this bad. I swear, you had better prepare yourself for the next couple days; you and the others actually, cause you all look terrible. You’re all getting high-protein meals, extra sleep no matter what Allura has to say about it...And your skin tones are so dry and pale, you best believe there's facial creams in all of your futures.” 

Laughing, Keith kissed him again. This was slow and gentle, and Keith made sure every ounce of love and happiness he felt in this moment, Lance felt. They pulled back and rested their foreheads against each others.

“Please, don’t ever leave me again. I can’t live without you.” Keith pleaded in a voice that showed his desperation. 

Lance kissed his forehead. “I never plan to, mi amor. Never again.”

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaand thats it! Just a little angst one-shot i've had in my head for a while. Wanted to share with the world. *villainous laughter*.


End file.
